🚀 go-pugleaf

Tony McCarthy's answer on this point is incorrect.  Contempt does
affect move selection.  GNU Chess does not know how to offer or accept
a draw.

The "contempt" parameter is subtracted from the value the search
engine places on the game ending in a draw (which is ordinarily 0).

A drawn game is normally valued at 0 because you are neither ahead nor
behind when the game ends in a draw.  On the other hand, when the game
has ended in a draw, you no longer have any winning chances!  So you
may prefer to avoid a draw even when you feel you are objectively
behind in the game, hoping your opponent will make a mistake later.
You're especially likely to do this if your opponent is weaker than
you are.  That's why the parameter is called "contempt"; the more
contempt you feel for your opponent's skill, the worse a position you
can be in and still want to avoid conceding a draw.

Example: Set up the following position with GNU Chess as black, black
to play, and set contempt to 4000.  GNU Chess will move its king away,
allowing the pawn to promote, because stalemating White looks even
worse to it!  (Obviously this contempt value is way too big!)

 - - - - - - - k   (White = k, p; Black = K)
 - - - - - K - p
 - - - - - - - -
 - - - - - - - -
 - - - - - - - -
 - - - - - - - -
 - - - - - - - -
 - - - - - - - -

	--Tim